Feeling the fructose funk? It could be your morning juice.

Summer days have finally arrived in Australia. And we all know what that means? Juice season is back.

But before your drag out that clunky juicer from your kitchen cupboard – stop! While sipping on a fresh juice may seem like a healthy start to your day, it could actually be doing you more harm than good.

Juices aren’t satisfying.

When you pop your fruit and veg through your juicer, all you get is, well… juice. The pulp and fibre, which help to keep us satiated, is literally tossed in the bin. By mid-morning, you’ll likely be feeling hungry again and ready to reach for a sugar-laden muffin or muesli bar.

They swamp your liver with sugar.

If someone handed you four apples to nosh on for brekkie, how do you think you’d get on? We bet, you’d make it through one (maybe two, if you’re starving!) before saying you were full. In contrast, if we juiced you four apples or heck – even a whole bushel – you’d be able to slurp it down in seconds.

When you strip fruit and veg of fibre, there’s no stopping you from chugging back massive amounts of sugar in one sitting. And, since sugar (and more specifically, fructose) is metabolised by the liver, this poor organ is literally hit with a huge amount of fructose to deal with. Trouble is, it can’t. So any fructose left over is stored as fat.

They lack fat.

Ever tried juicing an avocado? You see our point.

But seriously, healthy fats are what help to keep us feeling satisfied while slowing down digestion. Some of the essential vitamins and minerals found in fruit and veggies can also only be absorbed properly in the presence of fat.

The solution?

Swap your juicer for your blender and blitz your way to better health! By blending whole fruits and veg, you’ll retain the fibre, your liver won’t be overloaded with fructose and by adding healthy fats like avocado or a spoonful of chia seeds, you’ll boost your body’s ability to absorb essential vitamins too.

Please be respectful of other participants in the conversation. We'd love you to keep your comments respectful, friendly and relevant. Differences of opinion are welcome, but trolling and abuse of other commentators and the IQS editorial team is not and will result in blacklisting.